Recognized for excellence in addiction treatment by CARF International.
Everyone knows alcohol and driving don’t mix, but what about drugs and driving? Few people know that it is illegal to drive under the influence of a drug, including prescription drugs, some over-the-counter drugs, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. Drugged driving is a major highway threat. In 2007 aboutone in six (16%) of weekend nighttime […]
In June of 2014, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control reported that excessive drinking accounted for 1 in 10 preventable deaths of working-age Americans from 2006 to 2010: 88,000 deaths each year, the third leading cause of preventable deaths. These deaths arise from liver damage, alcohol poisoning, car accidents, falls, and murders. Most heavy drinkers binge […]
The important role of exercise in helping to maintain optimal physical health is well known. Like the popular auto insurance commercial points out, “Everybody knows that.” But did you know exercise plays an important role in mental health as well? Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of exercise in treating virtually all forms of mental […]
A definitive, comprehensive review of the current state of scientific knowledge on marijuana written by the nation’s leading drug scientists was recently published by the premier medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine. Authored by the Director, Deputy Director, Associate Director for Scientific Affairs, and Health Scientist Administrator at the National Institute on Drug Abuse […]
Disease (excluding infectious disease) is often based on genetics, inherited traits passed down from generation to generation through DNA, and addiction is no exception. The disease of alcoholism and addiction is about 60 percent genetic the other 40 percent is environmental.To experience addiction, we must first trigger the expression of our addiction genes.This is where […]
The first article in this series introduced Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). In this second part of this series, we will discuss SBIRT as a response to a need and the evidence for SBIRT effectiveness and support. SBIRT: Response to a Need Substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs) is a major public […]
Often overlooked in discussions of drug policy today is the nature of the drug problem. The global drug problem can be traced to the innate nature of the human brain. The mammalian brain is extremely vulnerable to chemicals that stimulate brain reward. These chemicals are drugs of abuse. They produce far more intense brain reward than […]
Now is the right time to upgrade the nation’s dysfunctional way of treating substance use disorders. This urgency is driven by three factors: The epidemic of prescription drug abuse, which is producing a new heroin crisis; The unfolding consequences of marijuana legalization; and The implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the Parity Act, which […]
A proposal to require physicians licensed in California to undergo random drug and alcohol tests, Proposition 46, may be on the ballot as part of a larger initiative in November 2014. Patients may be surprised to learn that the vast majority of medical professionals who are responsible for their care are not subject to any kind of […]
